Wildfire News 2024

[tcaarabians]

There is a spotter plane up over it now.   Inciweb just updated. Link attached.

SB Fire turned over Incident Command to the National Forest last night.

Here's the link:  https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cabdf-vista-fire

[Wrightwood]

Sekhar Padmanabhan

 • Staff Reporter
In a few seconds · Jul 8, 10:51 AM

The fire is 115 acres and 0% contained, per San Bernardino National Forest. It is burning in steep rugged terrain and remained active overnight. Four aircraft assigned. Additional aircraft, equipment, crews, and overhead personnel have been ordered.

[Wrightwood]

California Interagency Incident Management Team 15 has been assigned to the Vista Fire within the San Bernardino National Forest. The team will officially take management of the fire at 6:00 a.m. PST, Wednesday morning, July 9th.

[Wrightwood]

CalFire Intel 641 has mapped the fire at 588 acres, Air Tankers are off the fire right now.

[Wrightwood]

San Bernardino National Forest
@SanBernardinoNF
·
7m
#VistaFire Update: The Fire is 588 acres, 0% contained. Lytle Creek Road is closed at Glen Helen Parkway to the public, residence only. The PCT is closed from Lytle Creek to Mt. Baldy. We ask hikers to stay off trails in the Mt. Baldy area until further notice.

[EQC]

How often do the fire boundary lines (on Inciweb and/or WatchDuty) usually get updated?

If I'm not mistaken, the outline has been the same since yesterday, when it was listed at under 100 acres. Overnight, Joe Schmoe noted the fire was already much larger than the boundaries showed. At 10:50 this morning, they updated to 115 acres with no change in the boundary drawing.  And now, the size is listed as as 588 acres, but I don't think the lines have changed.

Naturally, I'm interested in the direction(s) it is moving and growing...


***EDIT:  A little while after I posted, it looks like Inciweb updated their map, and WatchDuty hadn't yet updated theirs.  Just visually comparing the two, it looks like most of the spread has been toward the south and east, with some westward as well.  I don't know the geography in that area, but based on the satellite views, it looks like a natural fire break (perhaps one of the feeders into Lytle Creek?) has, as of now, stopped the fire from spreading northward.

[Wrightwood]

https://cameras.alertcalifornia.org/?pos=34.2595_-117.3601_10&id=Axis-BaileyPeak1

Air Attack 12 is enroute to the fire, the Lead plane and Air tankers were requested back also.

[Joe Schmoe]

Google maps Globe View will help you visualize the terrain. Tip: hold down the control key, then click and drag (up and down, left and right).

One notable waypoint is here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/w6zeNnpKqxXnr4p39
That is the spot the fire retardant drops were being concentrated for a time, just below the Devil's Backbone trail ridge.

From the camera unfortunately it looks like it made it's way over the ridge between Stockton Flats and Coldwater Canyon, it then crossed Coldwater Canyon and is now running very quickly up the ridge that leads to Telegraph Peak (southeast direction).  All of this activity is moving away from Wrightwood, for those who have concerns about that.


There is no reason to let uncontrolled masses of people into remote backcountry on the 4th of July in this kind of weather without close oversight and supervision by rangers.  It's really annoying we simply cannot preserve what remains of our forest.  It is not that hard to staff and position resources in a logical way.

"A 20 year veteran of the Forest Service, Chief Garcia is a native of Southern California. He started his career as one of the first graduates of the Wildland Fire Explorer Academy on the Angeles when it was established in 1995.  During his career Garcia has worked on Engine and Hotshot Crews. He then rose to the rank of Superintendent for the Little Tujunga Hotshots before becoming a Battalion Chief then Division Chief on the Los Angeles Rivers Ranger District. "

He's a local!  He should know better.

[Joe Schmoe]

There are currently zero fixed-wing aircraft performing drops on the fire.

https://cameras.alertcalifornia.org/?pos=34.2595_-117.3601_10&id=Axis-BaileyPeak1

Air Attack 12 is enroute to the fire, the Lead plane and Air tankers were requested back also.

We saw this same thing happen on another fire where they pulled the resources only to call them back after things got out of hand.  I think it was the Bobcat fire?  It reeked of budget games.

[Joe Schmoe]

Here is what is burning over the past few hours.  Another nice piece of forest gone.
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.2819061,-117.5941467,3a,90y,343.61h,80.35t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOVrjbhoe-u7krYiDFyV4oAiKSAJwpR11mbXjlO!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOVrjbhoe-u7krYiDFyV4oAiKSAJwpR11mbXjlO%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya146.72894-ro-0-fo100!7i6080!8i3040?coh=205409&entry=ttu

[Joe Schmoe]

Appears they are using the Baldy ski resort's water supply to grab water for a very quick drop and turnaround in the immediate vicinity:

https://www.flightradar24.com/N262HQ/360de2d6
https://maps.app.goo.gl/St29SyVWjr6gFmVp7

[Joe Schmoe]

Tanker 910 (DC-10) leaving San Bernardino airport right now: https://www.flightradar24.com/TKR910/360e0d8d

Not clear if it's going to this fire, but a lead plane did leave Hemet a little while ago and just arrived.

EDIT: nope, unless it's going to circle around big bear that plane is headed elsewhere.  The new coordinator plane was just a shift change to let the other return to San Bernardino.

[Wrightwood]

Lots of smoke

https://cameras.alertcalifornia.org/?pos=34.2595_-117.3601_10&id=Axis-BaileyPeak1

[Joe Schmoe]

Good drone shot of the area being wiped out today:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/gfKUSz9NQu36bWwF7

The tall peak in the background of the drone shot is the tall peak on the left of the plume of smoke in the camera shot above.

[Joe Schmoe]

Big ol' fire.  The totality of our airborne fight right now?  1 helicopter. dropping water exclusively right here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/spwecuaGciMCUU5N9

EDIT: maybe 2: https://www.flightradar24.com/N44HX/360dee6f

[Joe Schmoe]

Sky crane working on Mt. Baldy left.

[tcaarabians]

 This map has the satellite pickups of hot spots.   You can zoom in.   Is the consensus at this hour that the fire is moving SW?

https://caltopo.com/map.html?fbclid=IwAR1tlPYUuxtDxevvYRHXsPOwNmBsNO7fykWfp7twxRnqc474CwQfwlfmdOY#ll=34.27509,-117.6119&z=12&b=mbh&o=mbr&n=1&a=modis_mp%2Cwxd_wspd-01

[Wrightwood]

[Wrightwood]

 Vista Fire
Publication Type: News - 07/08/2024 - 19:00

#VistaFire Update: This fire is managed under a full suppression strategy. Fire is burning in brush and timber within steep and rugged rocky terrain, making access difficult in some areas. Fire behavior was active on all fronts today and established in Cold Water Canyon and made significant uphill runs to the west. Crews attacked the fire from the ground and air, using fire engine modules to suppress the fire with hose lays, as hotshot crews and dozers cut line around the fire's perimeter. Aircraft were used to slow the progression at the head and flanks of the fire so crews could engage and cut line. The Mt. Baldy Resort has been evacuated as the area is still threatened. Poor air quality is impacting the community of Mt. Baldy. Visit AirNow.gov for information. Lytle Creek Road remains closed to the public, with access only to local residents. High temperatures continue to be a concern to firefighters as forecasts call for the same. This evening, the San Bernardino County Fire Department returned to Unified Command as the fire threatened Mt. Baldy. At 0600 tomorrow morning, California Complex Incident Management Team 15 will take command of the fire. The fire acreage will remain at 588 acres until an IR flight can be made.

[Wrightwood]